The 2009 Norsk Barnelopet!!

Only in Minnesota can you go out on a Sunday afternoon when the temperature is a mere 2 degrees above zero and find kids of all ages ready to participate in a cross country ski race! Gunnar took part in the 2009 Barnelopet over at Riverside Park overlooking the mighty Mississippi just after lunch today. What fun that was! Both Gunnar and Hans had done it last year, but this year Hans was not interested. Gunnar and I went over and signed him up just in time to take part in the race for the 6-8 year old kids. As you can see from the pictures, even though it was cold, it was a glorious afternoon for a ski race. Gunnar did fantastic, coming in 6th place for his age group - he was a much smoother, faster skier this year. Orn and Hans did not make it in time to see the race, but Hans got to participate in his favorite activity associated with this event - eating tons of wonderful Scandinavian goodies! A great time had by all!!

The Bailey's Party 2009

Last night Orn and I went down to St. Paul to attend what was probably the 12th annual Bailey's Taste Testing party at my friend Colleen Holm's house. The party grew over the years to a group that includes past and present Lawson employee's along with some other friends of Colleen's that we've all gotten to know over the years. It is always a ton of fun, with many stories to share and many more to create each year. Last night was no exception! Even though it was well below zero, it was very much worth the trek.

Basketball Season

Gunnar and Hans both have started playing basketball this winter in the St. Cloud Youth Basketball program. What fun it has been! For Hans, his team has 30 minutes of instruction followed by 30 minutes of scrimmaging. Very interesting basketball is played during the scrimmage - I liken it to a Rugby match in a gymnasium. For Gunnar, his team has 40 minutes of instruction followed by a 4o minute scrimmage. It is incredible to see the improvement in skills from the 1-2nd grade group to the 3-4th grade group. Also, a lot of fun to watch. Fortunately, they don't call any double dribble, fouls, etc. but rather, just let the boys play basketball. Both Gunnar and Hans are learning a lot and having a BALL in the process.

Minnesota FUN on Martin Luther King Day!!

We all had the day off from school today, so we made the most of it by doing what we Minnesotan's like to do most in the winter - cross country ski, ice skate, and sled down crazy hills!

Gunnar and I started off our day by cross country skiing at Quarry Park here in town. It is our new favorite thing to do...the trails are great with some smaller hills and lots of fun scenery and trails to explore.

After lunch, Hans and I joined Andrea and her two over at the local sledding hill (Calvery Hill). We took some turns cruising down the hill - Hans's favorite thing is to go over the jumps while going down the hill on his stomach. I simply cringe and look away!

After sledding, we stopped back at the house and retrieved Gunnar for our final afternoon activity - skating over at Rotary Park. What a GREAT DAY!!

Snowy, COLD Minnesota!!!

Oh my goodness!! Could it get any colder this winter??!! We have enjoyed A LOT of snow already this year, which has been fabulous (reminds me of winters past!), but the cold of this past week has been horrific! In fact, this morning neither Orn nor I had seen that school had been cancelled for the boys, so when we bundled them up and sent them out to the bus stop, it was 36 degrees below zero, not accounting for the wind chill (thankfully, there wasn't much wind). Fortunately, our neighbor by the bus stop happened to be taking out his garbage so the boys didn't even make it to the bus stop before they were told NO SCHOOL!

It has been sooooo cold, that the cats have taken to sleeping together again in an effort to stay warm. They search out what sunlight they can find too. Looking out on our patio, it appears that it will be a LONG time before we are able to do any grilling!! Yikes!!

New Years Eve 2008!!

For the first time in years, Orn and I stayed up past midnight! Amazing! Thanks to help from our wonderful neighbors (Jon and Noel) we had a fabulous meal and then played Rumikub well past the bewitching hour! What fun it was! The boys also stayed up, playing Wii in the basement with Nick and Alex. As midnight approached Alex came up with his electric guitar and serenaded us with Old Ang Sine. A very fun night had by all!! :)

Grand Rios Water Park

We decided to take advantage of the fact that all 4 of us are on vacation from school and spend a night at a waterpark. What fun! While the hotel attached to the waterpark wasn't the most glamorous and the waterpark itself was packed, we still managed to have a lot of fun. The slides were amazing...and as to be expected Hans spent most of his time tromping up the stairs to go down them time afer time after time. Gunnar split his time between the slides and the pool with the basketball. Orn and I split our time between the hot tub and reading along side the pool. A fun time was had by all!! Luckily, we hit the road home to St. Cloud early in the afternoon today as the area was getting hit with yet another snow storm. We got home in time to see a fresh coating of 6.5 inches of snow on our driveway. Oh fun. ;)

Mark and Lou get some new Kittens!!

After our visit with Lisa we popped into Excelsior to do some skating on Uncle Mark's rink. Of course, we also had to use that opportunity to meet the new members of the family - Sam and Harriet! What a couple of cute kittens...it made both boys want to get more cats...to which Orn and I quickly replied, "But Cinder and Tigger would not be happy with more animals in the house!" Phew...dodged that one! :)

Christmas at Lisa's!!

Today we had our annual Christmas celebration with Lisa (Gunnar's Godmother). We had a wonderful brunch to start our visit - as always she spoiled us rotten with wonderful cinnamon rolls, eggs, bagels, and mimosa's! Once brunch was over we got to the important activity (as far as the boys are concerned anyway), gift opening! We've developed quite the fun traditions - we give Lisa her journal for the upcoming year and update a homemade calendar for her kitchen counter along with other goodies. Meanwhile, she never ceases to find the perfect gifts for both boys and for us! This year she got Gunnar and Hans a LEGO Starwars ship that is amazing along with a remote control vehicle that can go on the ground, on snow, or on water! And of course a couple long sleeve shirts with a sports related theme. Too fun! We had a wonderful visit with both Lisa and Magic!

Christmas at the Meldahl's

After a relaxing morning at home, eating a feast and playing with new games, we headed into Excelsior to my parents house for a round of visiting. Most all of us Meldahl sib's were able to meet up there and visit while exchanging gifts amongst the offspring here and there. We enjoyed a nice fire and a meal of ham and potatoes later in the afternoon. A good time had by all as evidenced by the pictures!

Christmas Morning Fun!!

After checking out what Santa had brought them, the boys set about opening their gifts from us and the cats. We made sure that they opened their big gift last...although it became apparent what it was when they started opening various accessories. What was the big gift? A Wii play system! I had to laugh at Hans's first comment upon opening the Wii - "Now we don't have to go to Kyle's house all the time!" Yep, that was indeed one of the main reasons for succumbing to the video game pressure. At least this way they are in our house AND we can monitor the amount of time they spend playing various games.

Of course the fact that Hans has had many days of practice on the various games is readily apparent. I (Mary) have not won a game off of him in tennis...in fact, I've barely been able to scratch out a point. Pathetic...but way FUN!! :)

Christmas Morning - what did Santa bring??!!

These pictures probably need no explanation. Tradition has it that the boys are required to stay upstairs until Mom and Dad have had enough coffee to be able to approach the morning. Once we give the okay, they race down the stairs to see what Santa has brought.

Classic Gunnar and Hans...Gunnar was thrilled with the NERF Vulcan as that was what he had been requesting for what has seemed like AGES. Hans hadn't really asked for anything, but as to be expected the CANDY in his stocking was what he went for first.

I love the fact that Cinder is discretely eating up what Santa and the reindeer didn't finish during their visit last night!